Before the development of fuel injection systems, automotive engines were carbureted. Carbureted engines depend on a carefully calibrated carburetor to precisely mix a combination of fuel and air to provide an efficient combustion within the engine. The purpose of the carburetor is to deliver a maximum amount of power to the engine while also controlling emissions from the engine within acceptable limits. A number of factors affect the performance of the carburetor, such as the flow of air into the engine, the flow of air through an air filter into the carburetor, the supply of fuel to the carburetor, the pressure and temperature of the fuel and air being supplied to the carburetor, and the operation of the engine, whether it be a cold start, hot start, idling, accelerating, or cruising.
Fuel injection systems allowed computers to take greater control of the engine. Fuel injection systems atomize fuel for introduction into the engine. Computers in the car monitor the engine for a number of factors, but most principally the mass airflow into each cylinder.
With either a carbureted or a fuel-injected engine, the engine produces power in proportion to the amount of fuel supplied to it. Fuel can be carefully consumed, but doing so usually results in less power to the engine. Conversely, consuming fuel at high rates will produce large amounts of power in the engine, but doing so consumes fuel at a greater rate, reducing fuel economy and worsening emissions. Other factors affect power production, such as ambient and engine temperature. High ambient and engine temperatures can reduce the amount of power an engine produces, whether that engine is carbureted or fuel injected. An improved system for improving power production and reduces these effects is needed.